Does Future Of Microsoft’s Xbox One Depend On ‘Titanfall’ Success?

Tuesday’s debut of the much-anticipated video game Titanfall likely will be a pivotal early moment for Microsoft’s newest console, the Xbox One, which has struggled to keep up with Sony’s cheaper PlayStation 4 since both launched in November. Almost four months in, Sony has sold 6 million PS4s, compared to 4 million Xbox Ones. With the Xbox One costing $100 more than the PS4, and with few other distinctive titles, Microsoft is hoping a successful Titanfall launch will keep it in the game.

Distributed by Electronic Arts, Titanfall is a rip-roaring online-only take on standard tropes of science fiction and first-person shooters, from creators of the Call of Duty franchise. It initially will be exclusive to the Xbox One, then also be launched for Windows-based PCs and Microsoft’s older Xbox 360 console. It is not scheduled to be available on Sony consoles, an unusual move by a big third-party publisher such as EA that normally wants to make its games as widely available as possible.

Recent Comments

Titanfall will com oute in 2-4 years actually. Standyby for titanfall :)

haha

1 year

And yet the PS4 is still outselling the Xbox 1 despite the release of Titanfail...

johnny 5

1 year

yeah $100 extra for the i'm a lazy piece of shit application. lol.

In securing the exclusive arrangement with EA, however, Microsoft clearly is hoping Titanfall will do for its newest console what Halo did for the original Xbox: make it a must-have for serious gamers and solidify its long-term viability. Halo was called the Xbox “killer app,” selling more than 50 million copies across multiple sequels and generating an estimated $3.4 billion in direct revenue. It also sold a lot of Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles. In fact, early in the Xbox’s existence, Halo was practically the only reason for hardcore gamers to buy the machine.

While it’s ridiculous to consider the Xbox One “dead” if Titanfall isn’t a big success, Microsoft nonetheless could be in serious trouble with game creators and Wall Street. For game designers and publishers, perceived Xbox One weakness now might be cemented into place for years to come. Game creators must make big, long-term commitments when designing console titles. If they think the Xbox One is turning into a loser, they might shift future game development to the PS4, creating a vicious cycle of inadequate Xbox One game offerings that further reduces console sales. Investor concerns also might grow if they perceive intractable problems in what had been one of Microsoft’s most successful divisions, perhaps enough to affect its stock price and hobble its new CEO. For the games unit, 2013 was an annus horribilis, as it botched the Xbox One rollout at the E3 conference and saw two presidents depart within six months of each other. For morale and momentum if nothing else, the unit needs a win.

44 Comments

Watcher • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

Xbox One is the better system, but they made a HUGE mistake with the price point

JeffR • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

No and yes in that order.

Steve • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

I don’t think so. That cable pass-through and better controller was worth the extra $100 to me. I think it’ll prevail in the end when it is all said and done, the UI is undeniably 10 times better than the PS4s.

It's A Fact • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

That $100 extra also got you older tech than the PS4 – and no amount of PR bullshit about the “Cloud” will change that FACT.

Also, ‘Titanfall’ is tracking soft, roughly 540k pre-orders.. that’s awful for something that MS is betting the bank on.. it also doesn’t help MS that they purposely delayed the Xbox 360 version so that they could push the XBone.. and there are now reports that even at the resolution ‘Titanfall’ runs at on the Xbone (792p) it chugs and there is noticeable slowdown.. If you must or want to play this game, get it for the PC.

Give it 3 months and outside of a few hardcore types, gamers will have moved on to other games for their fix.

Derek • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

PS4 is technically superior, and a hundred dollars cheaper. Xbone might have Titanfall, but it’s sequel will most likely land on PS4 in a year or so; and Naughty Dog, whom may be the best developers at the moment, will develop solely for the PS4.

Quick note, I have neither of the new consoles, but I do own a PS3, Wii, and X360; so I’m far from biased.

SonyPony • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

Titanfall will com oute in 2-4 years actually. Standyby for titanfall :)

Rob • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

Xbox One is not the better system. And they did a good job screwing up the price point

Duke Nukem • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

The XB1 includes a camera. The PS4 it’s extra. There’s your difference. n00bs

firebrand • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

Xbox One is demonstrably worse than the PS4, and it’s not going to get any better. Especially considering how North America-centric it is. Why they thought the cable box pass-through or all the content deals they signed up for would play overseas (where they mean NOTHING) is beyond me. Not to mention it’s $100 more than the PS4? Nice job screwing yourself, MS. You blew E3 and you blew the launch of your system. What will you screw up next?

Adam • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

Why won’t the HDMI pass through play overseas?

Steve • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

I’m curious how it is demonstrably worse, since I have one and think it is head and shoulders better than the PS4. What do you think is bad about it?

Gizamaluke • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

All the multiplatform games perform better on the PS4. You can find dozens of technical reviews that come to the same conclusion.

Steve • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

I think the differences are almost imperceptible. And plus gaming is only 1/4th of what I use it for. In all other media categories it vastly outperforms the PS4 in my opinion. I could hardly use the PS4s interface.

Bulletproof • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

History Lesson:
The PS4 was designed for gaming while the Xbox One was designed as a home entertainment center. Microsoft had been pushing that part of their system more than the gaming aspect. Sure they both practically have the same hardware, but it’s what they were designed for. You say gaming is only 1/4th of what you use the Xbox One for. Then you are being bias about the systems since as I previously stated, THE PS4 WAS DESIGNED FOR SOLELY GAMING WHILE THE XBOX ONE WASN’T. And sure I’ll agree that the PS4’s UI could’ve been better but still I’m a hardcore gamer, I’ve played both Xbox One and PS4 and frankly the PS4 overall is better. Microsoft is trying to put a bandage on a gunshot wound by trying to bribe companies to making Xbox exclusive titles like Titanfall, Dead Rising 3, and many more… They don’t care about their consumers, they only care about making money by getting people to buy their console and paying more for Xbox live than they did before. Sony has been working their a** off trying to get Titanfall to also come to the PS4 because they care about their consumers. So if you want to console game buy a PS4 (If you just want to game though buy a PC. That is so much better than the Xbox One or PS4). Though you my friend, have no idea what the issue is all about. You been served… OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
*Disclaimer when I talk about how Microsoft doesn’t care, I’m talking about the company not the founder. Bill Gates is my hero and a very charitable man who cares about innovating the world.*

Clietus Black • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

This article is so far off base as to be absurd… there’s no vicious cycle as the Xbox platform is going into cross platform integration with windows phone , 8, tablet, skydrive, etc and most importantly TV programming integration… PS4 isn’t even in the same ballpark… Microsoft is playing the long game and xbox one is a very impressive integrated platform….

playing games is only about half of the value proposition and once it gets rolling it will be really impressive….

this whole battle is about becoming the entertainment center of choice and Sony is blowing it, again, because they don’t even realize what they are fighting for and don’t possess the capability to do it.

Xilin • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

Things aren’t so rosy for Microsoft.

Although sales for the Xbox 360 and Xbox 1 were good (but not better than those of the PS3 and PS4), gross margins for the last quarter in the hardware division were down 46% to $0.4 billion. After being purchased for $7.2 billion, Nokia reported a sales decline of 29% over the year and 4.5% lower than the previous quarter. Moreover, two quarters ago, the Surface tablet lost $900 million and continues to sell poorly.

PC sales have been declining, made worse by the negative consumer reaction to Win8. Naturally, profits from Windows have continued to slide, falling 22% from 2011 to 2013. Bing is also doing terrible, losing $1.3 billion over the year, and Yahoo wants out of its search deal with Microsoft.

In all truthfulness, the PS4 has more power for less money than the Xbox 1 does. Consequently, a number of games on PS4 offer greater image quality and can render graphics at 1080p, whereas they’re limited to 720p on Xbox 1.

Microsoft is definitely worried. That’s why it’s bundling Titanfall for free, a game that would cost $60 upon initial release.

as perceived • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

Yes, because Windows phones, Windows tablets, Windows 8, and skydrive are popular with large marketshare . . . and because television viewing through a cable box has a bright and rosy future over the next decade.

Microsoft has made some strange, counter-intuitive choices to the prevailing wisdom of where the tech and entertainment industries are headed in the near future with its new console. $500 is a steep price point for the market such machines are aimed at, and the extra $100 over its main competitor is for a camera that most prospective consumers have stated they would rather not have. Most concerning seems to be that the console seems unable to reliably put out 1080p video, which means it may be underpowered compared to the average that other, widely owned platforms (such as PCs, tablets, and yes, the PS4) will achieve in its expected lifetime.

All this plus the PR fiasco around its original DRM policies last year, and the turnover in leadership, means investors should definitely be worried, and asking hard questions. Hard questions will lead to favorable solutions before the situation can get anywhere near disaster. The Xbox brand is strong but may indeed be on the wrong path and in need of some course correction before it’s damaged.

As for Titanfall, one game that is also coming out for the old Xbox and for PCs probably isn’t going to get many people who weren’t already convinced to drop $500 dollars for the new console to do so now. $500 isn’t a little bit of money . . . it’s not in the range of a “feel-a-little-guilty” impulse buy. It’s something you carefully consider and reason through buying, so one game probably isn’t going to be enough. It’s a strong rung on the ladder that will get interested parties to eventually buy the console, though, once a few other rungs come along.

johnny 5 • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

sounds like you should just buy a PC. at least you can upgrade it anytime you want. why waste money on an XBOX one?

Rogers • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

As long as EA can now stop spamming the internet with their ads for Titanfall, I’ll be happy.

Duster • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

The UI of the hideous Windows Metro that only makes sense when using Kinect? Yeah. Sure. I like the Xbox, but I find myself turning on the PS4 a lot more when I want to game. Not the most sophiscated menu, but at least it shows me my games. On my video game console.

Jack reacher • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

Titanfall is definitely going to sell more xbox ones. But everyone is forgetting that both the xbox one and the ps4 are WILD successes. They both individually outsolde the worldwide Wii U sales in a few days. Both systems are great, both systems are selling more than their predecessor. This is the xbox ones first miss have game. We are still waiting for Sony’s.

John P • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

The only thing keeping Xbox One from being deemed a success is the fact that PS4 is more successful. Both systems have been out for 4 months though, not days and Xbox One has still not sold more total systems than Wii U. Estimates place the number of Wii U sold by the end of 2013 to between 4.5-5.2 million sold. It seems inevitable though as the sky is falling for Nintendo currently.

It's A Fact • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

I see the MS shills are out in force on this thread.. MS leading with XBone.. yeah, in the Twilight Zone maybe, sure as hell not in the real world.

You’ve gotta love Clietus Black comment.. man, so far out there it could replace pluto as a new planet.. MS hasn’t done a thing right, and here you are spouting that MS is going for the long run in entertainment with it’s integration! Windows 8 has been a smashing success for them hasn’t it? also MS can’t give windows phones away, no body want to own that shit.. Tell me genius, how many movie studios does MS own? Sony has them done there and with TV output, MS hasn’t output a damn thing other than spending over $18bil in the last 2 years.. hasn’t worked yet.

But don’t you worry, pretty sure XBOX won’t be around for much longer.. here’s a hint, the new CEO of the XBOX division.. hates the XBOX division and everything it stands for and everything that MS has spent on it.. here’s another hint, XBOX, after almost 13 years, still hasn’t produced a dime of profit for MS, not once.. That’s not hyperbole, that is FACT.

Jack reacher • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

Where are you getting that fact? Xbox 360 became profitable 2-3 years ago. That’s just hardware not software. The Kinect is profitable. They are in the black, buddy. Also, last quarter Microsoft announced record- that’s RECORD earning thanks in part to huge xbox one sales. Don’t know what you are smoking but it obviously isn’t the good legal stuff.

hmmm • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

You don’t know what you’re smoking either. Profits at the Xbox division have always been negligible compared to its peers at Microsoft. If the revenues are added to the costs, it’s basically a tiny profit over Xbox’s entire existence. Microsoft’s divisions actually face enormous competitive pressure, and the only thing keeping it up is its legacy as a monopoly in PC OS, which is rapidly fading.

Titanfall is tracking very poorly. A week before launch, it has roughly 611,000 pre-orders in the US across all platforms (Xbox 1, Xbox 360, and PC). It’s not racking up the same numbers as Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, etc.

Here's The Real • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

I own both systems; I prefer the Xbone, even though it has some issues– especially with the party interface.

I also have been playing Titanfall all day. The game is hot. If you play FPS’s like COD, no way you can hate on this game.

Fan • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

Microsoft is the most inept, dysfunctional firm I’ve ever done business with. If it wasn’t for their near monopoly in the operating system and office market, Microsoft would have sunk without a trace years ago.

johnny 5 • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

this is why i can’t wait for the steam operating system. i’m tired of buying into Microsoft bull shit.

Mark • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

The Master Chief will save the day. Like he always does.

hixxy • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

I have ps4 and xbox one and my ps4 has been sat doing nothing for the last 3 months as it might be more powerful means nothing at all to me gameplay is where it matters and thats why xbox one is loads better than ps4 xbox one has all best games like killer instinct /titainfall / forza 5 / ryse son of rome/ took my xbox one to my work mate last week who is a big ps4 fan and said xbox was crap but after 5 hours playing my xbox one he said he was getting one and yesterday he traded his ps4 in for xbox one so why people say xbox is crap i do not know

JR • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

You can always tell misinformation when you see it. Xbox 1 games aren’t better. For example, Titanfall’s launch has been riddled with problems — so much for Microsoft’s always-on concept — while Ryse: Son of Rome got very mixed reviews (Metacritic score of 60). Also, what’s this about people sending their PS4s back? In actuality, most retailers don’t allow you to return video game consoles after you’ve used them, and if they did, you’d take a sizable restocking charge, which most consumers are loathe to accept. It’s pretty easy to spot hot air coming from Xbox fans.

Anonymous • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

I used to be a diehard sony fan. Then my PS2’s fan broke. I called sony and they said that I could ship it to them and they could fix it for 70$. At the time the PS2 were like 150$. I decided to buy an xbox. Since then, microsoft has never charged me anything for problems that occured with my xboxs over the years. Including 2 red rings of death. Not going to agrue about which is better, that’s childish. Just an example of what I experienced.

Joe Wilson • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

If they had released a Halo game with the system it would be leading

slb • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

It’s nice to see that video game fan boy wars have made their way to deadline.com comment boards. Sweet!

phillip • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

Sort of like the ps3 really screwed the pooch on the release price

Slim • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

Uhh xbox one is 2.5 million behind wii u in sales do research wii u 6 million xbox 1 has 3.7 million

csulto • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

Had the PS4 on day one… played it for two hours with a friend.
We both concluded there was nothing more to do with the few games it had and started comparing the PS3 versions I had — most with no difference.
Packed up the PS4 and sent it back.

Just waiting for one of these two systems to get some actual good games — maybe Titan Fall — maybe not. Still going to need time I think.

Dylan • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

????? I’m very confused right now? So bullet f*g below me thinks ps3 or ps4 are real gamers lol come on, we all know how bad you guys were in COD or battlefield!!!!!! Almost every time I played on ps3, controller felt weird, and still ended with a 1.9 K/D. But go to Xbox live I would be at 1.1 K/D???? I’m not great at these games and I’m not a mathematician but you tell me what that means. ( it means Sony’s so called pro gamers SUCKED)

Yeah Oo0k • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

Once Master Chief comes back around, their will be no debate that PS4 is better than Xbox One. FACT.

Anonymous • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

Plus, All the PS4 players that hate Xbox One, are jealous that they cant play Titanfall and PvZGW, and all our other exclusive titles. And when Master Chief comes, well PS4 will be shut up and put out of the picture for good.

johnny 5 • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

titanfall is just another horrible adaptation of the call of duty universe. call of duty sucks, so why would i enjoy titanfall? and halo? come on, seriously!? halo is far from a good reason to spend $500 on a system. i’d rather spend $500 dollars on PC parts to upgrade my PC. I would get all the xbox so called exclusive titles and for a cheaper price. Most PC games i see, i can get at least a 10-15 dollar discount for preorders.

Cody • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

Pretty sure everyone was saying microsoft would fail when they implemented xbox live on the original box. Look where that inovation has taken the industry… the xbox one will grow far greater than Ps4 regardless if it’s the superior console or not. My xbox one is on constantly, swapping from game to tv to app just by voice. That feature, plus others and revamped additions later on, completly justify the mere $100 difference.

johnny 5 • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

yeah $100 extra for the i’m a lazy piece of shit application. lol.

haha • on Mar 10, 2014 4:45 pm

And yet the PS4 is still outselling the Xbox 1 despite the release of Titanfail…